


Sick Day

by harvestleaves



Category: ER (TV 1994)
Genre: Asthma, Background Carol/Doug, Benton worries, Carter gets sick, Doug surprisingly knows everything, F/M, M/M, Mild Language, Pre-Relationship, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24247966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harvestleaves/pseuds/harvestleaves
Summary: Carter comes down with a chest infection and his childhood asthma makes it worse, cue Peter trying to mother hen him.
Relationships: Carol Hathaway/Doug Ross, Peter Benton/John Carter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 58





	Sick Day

Carter shivered with a deep cough as he made his way into County General on a Tuesday morning in late September. Despite the fact that it was still pretty warm in Chicago, 75 degrees to be precise, Carter felt that he had spent the night in an icebox. Making his way into the lounge, he gave a small nod to Doug as he grabbed his coat and stethoscope from his locker, stifling another round of wheezy coughs.

“You sound like shit Carter, have you taken anything for that cough?” Doug asked curiously as he turned to the younger doctor, frowning at his flushed cheeks, dark under-eye circles, and how his shoulders heaved with every wheezing inhale and exhale.

“I took some over the counter cold medicine, and it helped a little with the fever, but I still can’t really catch my breath,” Carter admitted with another round of coughs, moving to sit down on the couch when he was left struggling to take deep breaths.

Doug frowned as he sat next to Carter and slipped his stethoscope on to listen to the other’s chest. “Take a few deep breaths for me.”

After a minute, Doug slipped his stethoscope around his neck and ran a hand up and down Carter’s back to soothe the next round of coughs that wracked the younger man’s body. “You’ve got deep wheezing and you’re congested. Do you have any pre-existing conditions that would be making this worse?”

“A-asthma,” Carter coughed heavily again, as he brought a hand up to rub at the tight spot in the center of his chest, jumping a little when the door to the lounge opened and Benton popped his head in.

“Carter, you’re late for rounds. You okay?” Benton asked, a frown appearing on his lips when he finally noticed the state of his friend, moving to crouch in front of Carter to check his pulse. “How long has his breathing been like this? Did you take your inhaler?”

Doug raised an eyebrow at the interaction between the two and moved to Carter’s locker to check for an inhaler.

Shaking his head, Carter struggled to take a breath before he squeezed his eyes shut with a wince. “It r-ran out last night, I c-called a n-new script in for today.”

“Well, without meds, those lungs of yours won’t open up. Peter, can you help him to Exam Room 1? I’ll grab a chart to start and some albuterol for a breathing treatment and meet you two in there with Carol.” Doug smiled as he helped Carter stand, making sure that he was safe in Benton’s arms before he held the door to the lounge open for the two of them before he headed to the reception desk.

Carter leaned into Benton’s embrace as the other wrapped his arms firmly but gently around his shoulders, cherishing the soothing touch as he was manhandled to the exam room and helped up onto the bed. Grabbing a nasal cannula, Benton slipped the tubing under Carter’s nose and over his ears, the cool touch of the other’s fingers immediately calming to Carter. Finding himself leaning into the touch as Benton’s thumb caressed his cheek, Carter blushed before he immediately pulled back.

“C’mon, let’s get your coat off, I’m sure Carol is gonna want to get an IV in your arm,” Benton smiled wryly as he helped Carter with the article of clothing, taking his stethoscope off as well to place at the foot of the bed before loosening Carter’s tie and undoing the top few buttons of his dress shirt, his fingers lingering on the front of Carter’s shirt before moving away quickly when there was a knock.

“Hey, I heard Carter wasn’t feeling well,” Carol smiled gently as she walked in, Doug in tow as she moved to roll up Carter’s left sleeve to start an IV.

“Yeah, chest infection exacerbated by asthma, so we’ll give him some prednisone for the inflammation and an antibiotic through his IV,” Doug explained as he started to put together the nebulizer, watching Benton sit in the chair next to the bed, his hand resting on Carter’s leg for moral support. “Did you wanna get to your rounds? Let them know Carter won’t be in today?”

“Huh? Oh yeah. I’ll be back down to check on you in a bit, okay?” Benton whispered to Carter, squeezing his shoulder gently before he headed out of the exam room, fully prepared to take a personal day to keep an eye on the other.

Carter watched Benton leave, a dopey smile appearing on his lips as he did so. Doug pressing the nebulizer into his hand to guide it up to his lips drew him back out of his thoughts and he looked over at the older doctor with a blush.

“So...you and _Benton_? When did that start?” Doug asked with a smirk and a wink as he moved to listen to Carter’s lungs again, raising an eyebrow curiously when the younger male shrugged.

“Nothing’s started. I don’t even think he realizes that I have feelings for him,” Carter wheezed as he pulled back from the nebulizer, surprised that he’d admitted his feelings out loud to another person, only having just admitted it to himself the week before.

“Even if he doesn’t know your feelings, he’s completely smitten with you,” Carol piped up from his other side, causing Carter’s eyes to widen when he remembered she was in the room as well.

“You think?”

“We _know_. Because we have exchanged those same looks so many times ourselves,”Doug laughed with a smile over at Carol as she finished putting the meds into his IV line.

“It’s pretty slow right now, do you want one of us to stay with you until Peter gets back? We all know he’s gonna take a personal day, he won’t be able to concentrate with you down here,” Carol smiled, reaching up to push some hair off of Carter’s damp forehead with a smile.

“No thank you, I wouldn’t want to impose,” Carter wheezed with a kind smile, settling back to finish the breathing treatment.

“If you’re sure. I’ll be back in fifteen when that treatment is up. Don’t do anything to try and exert yourself. Got it?” Doug smiled as he ruffled Carter’s hair before heading out with Carol to leave Carter with his thoughts.

In all honesty, Carter knew that he’d had feelings for Benton for a few years, but he knew that as long as the other was his direct supervisor he wasn’t able to do anything about said feelings until he was fully switched over to emergency medicine. Just the thought of kissing his mentor made Carter’s breath catch in his chest and caused him to start coughing around the nebulizer once more. Squeezing his eyes shut at the tightness in his chest, he felt a hand on his back to soothe his coughs and at first thought Doug or Carol had come back in until he heard Benton’s deep voice.

“I leave you for five minutes and you’re still hacking up a lung? C’mon, you know the drill. Slow deep breaths,” Benton said gently as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to Carter, continuing to rub circles on his back to ease the soreness that was most likely present. When he felt Carter start to melt under his touch, a smile graced Benton’s lips.

“Wh-what’re you doing back down here? Y-you’ve got rounds.”

“I took the shift off. I never use my vacation time, and you’re too damn stubborn to ask for help. Did Doug say whether or not he’s gonna have you on continuous nebs? Or how long they’re gonna keep you? Or what meds he’s going to prescribe when you leave?” Benton asked as he pressed the back of his hand to Carter’s forehead.

“You’re worrying too much. J-just sitwith me. L-let Doug do the doctoring, you just be here for me. Please?” Carter wheezed as he looked up at Benton with puppy eyes, a look the other man couldn’t resist.

Benton raised an eyebrow in surprise at Carter’s words before he nodded and leaned down to press a kiss to the other’s forehead before moving the neb to press a second to the other's lips gently. “Alright. You scared the shit out of me though. You know that, right? Don’t ever do it again,” he whispered, voice low as he pulled the smaller man in for another hug before glancing out the window to the exam room where Doug and Carol were talking.

“Called it. You owe me twenty, I knew they’d kiss by the end of the day,” Doug grinned as he held out his hand to Carol for the money from the bet they’d made after leaving the room.

“Oh shut up, you just got lucky,” Carol rolled her eyes, grinning however when Doug leaned in to whisper that she’d get lucky too after their shift.


End file.
